Language Courses at BT天堂
At BT天堂, we encourage you to learn new languages and to improve the level of the languages you already speak. You can do both while earning your degree. The University offers language courses in French,听Italian and Arabic to both undergraduate and graduate students.
Undergraduates may take language courses as part of their degree.
All students may request to audit BT天堂 language classes (or other classes) for no extra charge on a space-available basis. This benefit is limited to one audit per semester, and interested students must already be registered in a full-time course load (at least 12 credits). Full details of BT天堂鈥檚 Audit policy can be found .
听
What are external language courses?
If you're interested in a language not offered at our University, you have the option to take a language course through an outside institution.听
We recommend that you get in touch with the Registrar
aup.edu (Registrar's Office) before signing up for courses at another institution to make sure that your credits will transfer correctly, and that you understand the options available.听Please note that online language courses are not accepted as part of the external Language Study Program.
听
Earning credit for your course work
Language classes are graded on a Credit/No Credit (CR/NC) basis only. That means that the grade that you earned outside of the University will not affect your grade point average. Credits for external language study are awarded based on the amount of full 60-minute classroom hours, 听referred to as 鈥渃ontact hours鈥�, of the chosen program:
- 40 contact hours = 2 credits
- 60 contact hours = 3 credits
- 80 contact hours = 4 credits
- 100 contact hours = 5 credits
- 120 contact hours and above = 6 credits (maximum transferable credit for external language courses).
If you are working towards a听Cadre europ茅en commun de r茅f茅rence pour les langues听(CECRL) qualification, the CECRL translates to BT天堂 course levels as follows:
- 1000 (A1/A2)
- 2000 (A2/B1)
- 3000 (B1/B2)
- 4000 (C1/C2)
It is important to understand that the semester start and end dates of language institutes may not match BT天堂鈥檚 course dates. Holiday schedules will vary as well, but our students are expected to regularly attend classes at their chosen institute as well as at BT天堂. If the external course runs longer than the BT天堂 semester an incomplete grade will be awarded until the course is completed and a proper grade can be processed.
Please be advised this is strictly for reference purposes; and does not guarantee that BT天堂 courses equate to a student's proficiency in the Common European Framework (CEFR). Conversely, proficiency at a given level in the CEFR does not necessarily satisfy BT天堂 language course prerequisites.
听
External Language Study Options: BT天堂-Registered Language Study or Independent language study
Undergraduate students may either pursue an BT天堂-Registered Language Study, or an Independent Language Study. BT天堂-Registered Language Study is taken as part of a student鈥檚 18-credit-hour schedule, will have a corresponding BT天堂 registration, and may be eligible for reimbursement. Independent Language Study is not limited by the student鈥檚 BT天堂 credit-hour schedule, will not be reflected in the current term鈥檚 registration, and is not eligible for reimbursement.
BT天堂-Registered Language Study (1 course per semester, Fall or Spring only)
- The student will have a corresponding BT天堂 registration.
- The student may be eligible for reimbursement of the external course cost via Student Accounting Services.
- The external course must fit within a given semester鈥檚 18-credit-hour maximum.
- The external course will appear on the transcript as part of the semester in which it was registered.
- The external course will be graded Credit/No Credit (CR/NC)
听
Independent Language Study
- The student will not have a corresponding BT天堂 registration.
- The student will not be eligible for reimbursement of the external course cost.
- The external course will appear on the transcript as transfer credit.
- External coursework may only be transferred to BT天堂 if students earn the equivalent of a 鈥淐鈥� or better.
- Transferred coursework appears on the transcript with the grade of 鈥淭鈥� for transfer.
听
External Language study process
Whether you are pursuing an BT天堂-Registered Language Study, or an Independent Language Study the process is very similar.
BT天堂-Registered Language Study
- Identify the desired external language course at an acceptable language institute, and submit an (ECPA) request. Please read and ensure that you also meet the relevant ECPA requirements (these can be found on top of the form, as well as here).
- If the ECPA is approved, the student pays for and registers the course at the external institution.
- The student obtains (or requests) a Certificat d鈥橧nscription from the external institution.
- The Certificat d鈥橧nscription is brought to BT天堂 (both the Registrar鈥檚 Office and Student Accounting Services).
- The Registrar鈥檚 Office will use this document to add the corresponding registration.
- Student Accounting Services will use this document to add credit to the student鈥檚 account for reimbursement.
- Once the external course is complete, the student will request an official transcript be sent to BT天堂.
听
Independent Language Study
- Identify the desired external language course at an acceptable language institute, and submit an (ECPA) request. Please read and ensure that you also meet the relevant ECPA requirements (these can be found on top of the form, as well as here).
- If the ECPA is approved, the student pays for and registers the course at the external institution.
- Once the external course is complete, the student will request an official transcript be sent to BT天堂.
听
Finding a language institute
There are many language institutes in Paris for you to chose from. To help you make your choice, we have compiled a list of some of the institutes that BT天堂 students have previously attended. Be aware that these language institutes teach the foreign language in French. You should therefore be comfortable in working with up to two foreign languages at the same time. Advanced French language skills are strongly recommended.
All external language courses at any institution must be preapproved for transfer of credits before the course begins.